At the start of the summer transfer window, Joao Felix caused a stir when he revealed it was his 'dream' to play for Atletico Madrid's rivals, Barcelona. He told Fabrizio Romano: “Barcelona has always been my first choice and I’d love to join Barça. It was always my dream since I was a kid. If it happens, it will be a dream come true for me."
Felix's dream came true on the final day of the summer transfer window as he sealed a season-long loan move to the Catalan giants. There was no buy option included in the move.
Joao Felix's skills in Barcelona presentation compared to Ousmane Dembele's
Felix has been bought in to replace Ousmane Dembele, who sealed a £43.5m move to Paris Saint-Germain earlier on in the window. Barcelona fans will be hoping that the Portuguese fares a lot better at the club than Dembele did.
Dembele underwhelmed during his whole spell at Barcelona. Signed for €105 million plus a reported €40 million add-ons in 2017, the winger failed to hit the heights expected of him in an injury-hit six years at the club. The fact Barca agreed to sell him for almost £100m less than what they paid for him says it all.
The Frenchman's spell at Barcelona couldn't have got off to a worse start. The first task for new signings is to show off their skills in their presentation. Dembele tried his best to show off his skills but, unfortunately for him, it did not go to plan.
Felix showed how it was done during his presentation. The 23-year-old didn't try anything too extravagant but had a huge smile on his face as he successfully juggled the ball for just under 30 seconds, before stopping to pose for pictures.
Felix's first touches in a Barcelona shirt went a lot better than Dembele's, that's not even a debate. Whether he proves to be a success, only time will tell.
Joao Cancelo's skills in his presentation
Felix wasn't the only person to be presented as a new Barcelona player on Saturday morning, with Joao Cancelo also joining the club on a season-long loan on transfer deadline day. He also showed off his skills and put on a fine display.
What did Joao Felix say during his Barcelona presentation?
Felix expressed his pleasure at making the move to Barcelona during his presentation. He said, per Barcelona's official website: "Everyone knows that I am happy to be here, it is a dream for me. I come to help the team and it is a unique feeling. When they told me that Barça were interested I was very happy. In the end, thanks to everyone's effort it has been possible.
"With my dad and my brother we used to watch the Barça and we have always been fans of this great club. I have had that dream since I was young and I have worked hard to make that goal of coming here happen."
When will Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo make their Barcelona debuts?
SPORT have reported, per 90min.com, that Cancelo and Felix have been registered with La Liga in time to make their debuts away at Osasuna on Sunday evening. It is unknown, though, whether they will be thrust into the first-team picture so soon after joining.
The duo will reportedly be assessed by Xavi at Barcelona's final training session on Saturday before a decision is made on whether they will feature ot not.